Kent calls move 'right thing to do'.Byline: The Register-Guard Oregon men's basketball coach Ernie Kent Ernie Kent (Born January 22, 1955 in Rockford, Illinois) is the current head men's basketball coach at the University of Oregon. He has been the Ducks' coach since he replaced Jerry Green after Green left for University of Tennessee after the 1996-97 season. will be spending part of his summer in a different part of the world because of Tuesday's decision by the International Basketball Federation to move the Men's Junior World Championship to Thessaloniki, Greece, from Malaysia. That decision, and the decision by FIBA's central board to cancel the inaugural Continents' Cup in Beijing, came about because of fears of SARS, a flu-like viral disease that has killed more than 735 people worldwide and infected more than 8,200. The vast majority of cases have been in mainland China and Hong Kong Hong Kong (hŏng kŏng), Mandarin Xianggang, special administrative region of China, formerly a British crown colony (2005 est. pop. 6,899,000), land area 422 sq mi (1,092 sq km), adjacent to Guangdong prov. , with Taiwan and Singapore among the other countries worst hit. Dates for the world junior basketball tournament remain July 10-20. Kent, head coach of the USA junior team - players 19-and-under - expressed disappointment about the decision because a former Oregon player, Felton Sealey, is coach of the host Malaysian national team. However, Kent said he understands the FIBA FIBA Fédération Internationale de Basketball (International Basketball Federation) FIBA Florida International Bankers Association FIBA Fédération Internationale de Boxe Amateur FIBA Financial Institution Benefit Association, Inc. board's concerns. "I was really looking forward to taking a team over and seeing that country, and having someone who had lived there for seven or eight years and who would give you an opportunity to look at a country from a totally different perspective," Kent said. "But with the SARS scare, and for us to field the best team possible, I think it was the right thing to do. "Certainly as a parent, I know people would be skeptical of sending their kids into that region," Kent said. Tryouts for the USA junior national team begin Friday in Colorado Springs Colorado Springs, city (1990 pop. 281,140), seat of El Paso co., central Colo., on Monument and Fountain creeks, at the foot of Pikes Peak; inc. 1886. It is a year-round resort and a booming military, technological, and commercial city. . UO assistant coach Scott Duncan Adam Scott Mattewson Duncan (November 2, 1888 - October 3, 1976) was a Scottish professional footballer and manager. Playing career Scott Duncan, born in Dumbarton, was working as a law clark when he joined his hometoon club Dumbarton in 1906. and trainer Clay Jamieson are part of the staff for the tryouts, and Jamieson will be trainer for the USA junior team. Malaysian health authorities criticized the decision to move the junior world championships, saying SARS is under control in Malaysia and the risk of infection for visitors is low. ``To move a world competition out of Malaysia on grounds that there is a health risk is totally unwarranted,'' said Ismail Merican, Malaysia's deputy director of health. ``Sports bodies should not have unnecessary fears about Malaysia.'' Malaysia has reported two deaths and five probable cases of SARS. SARS has led to several cancellations of international sporting events across Asia, including the Women's World Cup The Women's World Cup could refer to either the:
FIBA has said it would not block China and Malaysia - the only two countries in the 16-nation competition where SARS has been reported - from competing in the basketball junior championships. In addition to the United States, the other competitors are: Croatia, Lithuania, Venezuela, Turkey, Australia, Argentina, Greece, Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (pwār`tō rē`kō), island (2005 est. pop. 3,917,000), 3,508 sq mi (9,086 sq km), West Indies, c.1,000 mi (1,610 km) SE of Miami, Fla. , Iran, Angola, Slovenia, Nigeria and South Korea. FIBA also canceled the inaugural Continents' Cup in Beijing because of severe acute respiratory syndrome Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) Definition Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is the first emergent and highly transmissible viral disease to appear during the twenty-first century. . The top team from each continent was set to compete at the tournament from July 26-Aug. 2. The field included world champion Serbia-Montenegro, silver medalist Argentina, Angola, Australia, China and Spain. |
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